Acetylene generator



March 24.1925. i 1,531,188

A. F. JENKINS ACETYLENE GENERATOR Filed June 27, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet l March 24, 1925. 1,531,188

. A. F. JENKINS ACETYLENE GENERATOR Filed June 27, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 24, 19 25.

UNI.TED;ISTATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER I. JENKINS, F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

. ACETYLENE Application filed June 27,

' To all whom it may concerns Factories, work shops, public buildings,

' and hotels frequently are provided with apparatus for generating acetylene gas for lighting purposes or for use 1n metal cutting and welding operations. In some 1nstauces it is unnecessary to provide a gas under any appreciable pressure, but for other purposes a pressure of from 10 to 15 pounds er square inch is desirable. So far as possible these generating units. whether installed singly or in multiple, and connected to form a battery, are arranged to operate automatically so as to render unnecessary the constant attendance of an operator to properly feed the carbide and water to the tank. Automatically operating water and carbide ,fceding devices have heretofore been devised or suggested and it is the object of the present'invention to provide a gas generator'of this character having not only automatic carbide and water feeding devices, but also an automatic sludge removing mechanism whereby waste water and sludge is automatically removed, so that it. will run long periods of time without attendance. The sludge removing device is of such character that the pressure d'esiredl within the tank is not lowered below the de sired minimum due to its operation.

The invention may be embodied in vari-' ous forms, one of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the drawmgs:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an acetylene gas generating tank, parts being broken away to illustrate the application of the present invention thereto;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the lower portion of the tank taken at right angles to Figure 1 and partly broken away; and

Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Figure 1. Thegenerator comprises a metallic tank 10 of generally cylindrical form having an opening in its top for the introduction of GENERATOR.

1921. Serial No. 480,708.

carbide which opening is normally closed by a cap 11, and having an upwardly flarmg conical bottom 12 which acts as a funnel in collecting the sludge, and guiding it toward the central opening 12 therein.

The carbide introduced through the opening in the top of the tank may be fed downwardly by any well known carbide feeding mechanism, preferably by that disclosed in the copendmg application of A. F. Jenkins, Ser. No. 347,719 filed Dec. 27, 1919. In this case it rests in a hopper 13 having a slotted bottom located immediately above the rotatable cylindrical drum 14, indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1, this drum being fixed on a rotatable shaft 15 which is connccted by reducing gearing'R- to the shaft 16 of a rotary water motor 17. A pipe 18 is provided for conducting Water under pressure from a citymain or other suitable source to the motor 17 and a pipe 19 conducts the water exhausted from the motor to the interior of tank 10. This pipe enters tank 10 in such manner that the jet of water issuing thereinto is substantially tangential to the wall of the tank so that the water in the tank is'in constant movement, fiowin slowly in a circular path about the .vertica axis of the tank.

An additional supply'pipe 20 for water under pressure ente rs tank 10 substantially radially and has a lateral outlet 21 so that the jet which enters the tank through this orifice is tangential to its wall and assists that which entersthrough pipe 19 in maintaining the swirling motion of the body of water. Passage of water through pipe 20 is controlled by a valve operated by a float 22 in such manner that the water is maintained substantially at the level at which it is shown in Figure 2 at all times. Gonnected to the funnel shaped bottom below opening 13 is a'valve casing 23 which houses a large gate valve adapted to be manually opened to permit the escape therethrough tion is obtained by the rotation of a plurality of intermeshing gears, fitted within a casing provided with inlet and outlet ports. Y

The outflow of Water and sludge from i teat 22 contigolling the actual ow of Water through this pipe. I

The escape of gas from tank: 10 is so governed by reducing valves or similar devices not illustrated, that the pressure existing in the tank is the exact pressure desired memes and the invention is not limited in its scope to the exact embodiment shown. and described.

.Whzt is claimed as new anddesired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

In a gas generating apparatus of the class deso'ibed, in combination, a gas generating tans, conduit for leading Water under pressure to said tank, a Water motor operated by the water passing through said conduit, and a pump for continuously T811103- ing sludge and waste water driven from the motor 2. In a. gas genera-ting apparatus of the to accomplish the particular purpose for classdescribed, in combination, .a tank,

which the gas is being used.

The pump is substantially leakproof, be.

ing water sealed and having quantities of sludge continuously passing therethrough so that'the pressure above it can not force the Water from the tank through the pump to allow the escape of gas through the Waste The design and arrangement of the component parts of the invention may be considerably .varied by one skilled in the art means for removing water from file tank at a uniform rate andmeans for supplying the tank with fresh Water including a constantly open inlet conduit, a second inlet conduit, a valve governii'i. the flow through said second conduit an means for automatically opening said valve when the water in the tank falls below a predetermined level.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afi'ix my signature.

ALEXANDER Fa JENKINS. 

